Athletics
Trail runners experience adventure in awe-inspiring mountains in fourth Pass2Pass Ultra-Trail
More than 700 trail runners enjoyed a day out in perfect running conditions along some of the Western Cape’s lesser-known trails between Paarl and Wellington in the fourth Pass2Pass Ultra-trail over the weekend.
The race’s tag-line ‘where adventure awaits and limits are tested’ was an apt description of the challenging trails across soaring mountain peaks which offered stunning panoramic views.
Both the men’s and women’s winners in the ‘P2P Hundred’ raced to big-margin victories in the gruelling race over 100,1km, the shorter events provided close competition among several of the country’s leading trail athletes.
Little more than three minutes separated the top three finishers in the men’s P2P Challenge over 36km and the women’s P2P Lite over 25km.
While a handful of elites returned from last year’s Pass 2 Pass Ultra Trail, it was largely a cast of newcomers setting the trails alight. Pretoria’s Maryke van Zyl was the only athlete able to defend her title, winning the 42,4km Marathon in an impressive 4:36:19 – 12 minutes clear of Great Britain’s Emi Dixon.
Experience trail athlete, Michael Molyneaux, raced home in the Hundred in 11:56:01 – 64 minutes clear of Matthew Cross, with Tarrin van Niekerk, who finished second in the 65km Ultra last year, winning the women’s race by an even bigger margin. Van Niekerk’s 16:24:44 was 1 hour 19 minutes clear of runner-up, Philippa Law.
One of the strongest performances of the day came from Cape Town-based American, Emily Djock, who bounced back to form to win the P2P Ultra 65km in a swift 7:58:43, all of 36 minutes clear of second-placed Kayla Wheeldon. Only the top two male finishers, Jacques Buys and Mark Winter, crossed the line ahead of her.
Djock won the second Pass2Pass Ultra Trail ‘65km’ in 2024, finishing ten minutes clear of Tarrin van Niekerk, after extensive fires in the Bains Kloof region had significantly shortened the course.
“This time the route was amazing,” Djock remarked. “It was almost as if I’d stumbled upon a secret path. I couldn’t believe how big and remote and beautiful these moutains are.
“I had not had the best training block leading up to the race. After the UTMB CCC (Djock was the second American to finish last September in the high-profile race in the French Alps) I struggled quite a bit and was not where I wanted to be.
“But I felt really good on the weekend, except for the last ten km, which I found hard. There was a stretch between 40 and 50km in the Krom River Dome region which was especially amazing. The summit is so remote, almost alpine. It was very technical, with loose rocks to navigate, and mentally it took a toll.
“I struggled to keep concentration after that loop and had a ‘few wobbles’ along the trail before the finish.”
Adding to the sense of remote wilderness was the fact that Djock ran solo from pillar to post. “With the exception of runners from races who we overlapped a few times, I was on my own the whole way. It felt remote and special – it was a good and happy race for me.”
Djock looks forward to another successful season both at home (she has entered the Two Oceans Trail Race in April) and abroad (she travels to Italy with fellow Cape Town athlete, Samantha Reilly) to race the highly competitive 80 km Lavaredo Ultra-trail in June).
Gauteng-based athlete, Jacques Buys, has proved to be one of the country’s leading marathon and ultra-trail athletes in recent years and lived up to expectations with a convincing victory over Mark Winter in the 65km race, winning by 28 minutes in 7:11:29.
“I ran with Mark up to around the halfway point,” Buys reflected. “(It was a) pretty fast pace up to that point.
“Mark started struggling with stomach/nutrition issues so I pulled away from there and ran the second half on my own. I struggled with cramps around 40kms, so lost quite a bit of time but luckily managed to get it under control.”
Like Djock, Buys found the route challenging and awe-inspiring. “The route is insane – it’s a good variety of runnable and technical trail and very scenic pretty much throughout the whole route,” Buys continued.
“The three big climbs with the most technical one at the end make it super challenging. I’d rate it as one of the more difficult trails I’ve race – for me it’s harder and longer than Ultra-trail Cape Town’s 55km.”
One of the closest finishes of the day came in the P2P Challenge over 36km, when Jacques du Plessis came home in 3:01:08, just over a minute ahead of defending champion, Southern Cape athlete, Underson Ncube. Grobler Basson, joint-winner of last year’s 65km finished a further two minutes back in third.
“It was a good race for me, but wouldn’t really say it was a tight race,” Du Plessis reflected. “The guys seemed to be running more slowly in the beginning. I was running comfortably and before I knew it there was no-one behind me. I think they fell behind around 6km, but I had no idea how far behind me they were.
“I was running hard, but well within myself. Frustratingly, I lost around a minute as the first two aid stations were not ready for me and took around 30 seconds each to boot up before I could scan my bib. If I’d known Underson was just a minute behind, I would have run a bit faster.
“But it was really a nice day out in perfect running conditions and I had a very good experience of the race.”
Groote Schuur Hospital running doctor, Ebeth Marais, came out on top of a quality field in the P2P Lite over 25km in 2:22:13 – less than two minutes clear of Lijan Burger, with Mila Geldenhuys just over a minute further back in third.
Siviwe Nkombi won the men’s race by just 20 seconds over Lukas van der Merwe, clocking 2:08:42 for the 25km distance.
Results (SA unless otherwise indicated)
P2P HUNDRED – 100,1km (31 finished out of 42 starters)
Men: 1 Michael Molyneaux 11:56:01; 2 Matthew Cross 13:02:00; 3 Demetrius Van Rooyen 13:12:49; 4 Anele Bans 13:12:49; 5 Cobus Smit 13:46:50
Women: 1 Tarrin van Niekerk 16:24:44; 2 Philippa Law 17:43:25; 3 Dani Coetzee 21:21:53
P2P ULTRA – 62,8km (69 finished out of 80 starters)
Men: 1 Jacques Buys 7:11:29; 2 Mark Winter 7:39:32; 3 Pieter Joubert 8:34:28; 4 Bernard van der Veen 8:46:30; 5 Guido Tagge (DE) 8:51:54
Women: 1 Emily Djock (USA) 7:58:43; 2 Kayla Wheeldon 8:34:32; 3 Jessie Waldman (GB) 8:36:58; 4 Verone de Bruyn 8:56:26; 5 Mari Marincowitz 9:01:40
P2P MARATHON 42,4km (112 finished out of 116 starters)
Men: 1 Iain Peterkin 3:53:12; 2 Jason Koopman 3:58:04; 3 Gabriel Kriel 3:59:26; 4 Skye Clark 4:18:28; 5 Brandon Hulley 4:20:00
Women:1 Maryke van Zyl 4:36:19; 2 Emi Dixon (GB) 4:48:34; 3 Brigitte Joubert 5:10:10; 4 Helen Bosman 5:24:23; 5 Hester le Riche (NL) 5:26:15
P2P CHALLENGE 36,0km (164 finished out of 164 starters)
Men: 1 Jacques du Plessis 3:01:08; 2 Underson Ncube 3:02:32; 3 Grobler Basson 3:04:36; 4 Travis Brigg 3:17:12; 5 Ryno Owen 3:18:57
Women: 1 Anna Firth (GB) 3:41:49; 2 Julia Hunter4:05:03; 3 Olga Antoniceva (Lativa) 4:10:01; 4 Caitlin Perry 4:27:41; 5 Frances Weiner 4:28:24
P2P LITE 25km (181 finished out of 182 starters)
Men: 1 Siviwe Nkombi 2:08:42; 2 Lukas vd Merwe 2:09:02; 3 Joshua Blackshaw 2:10:23; 4 Ben Derman 2:11:33; 5 Frans vd Merwe 2:17:14
Women: 1 Ebeth Marais 2:22:13; 2 Lijan Burger 2:23:58; 3 Mila Geldenhuys 2:25:14; 4 Louise Dippenaar 2:28:41; 5 Leane van Zyl 2:38:00
P2P Dash 14,1km (157 finished out of 158 starters)
Men: 1 Ruben Hanekom 1:04:53; 2 Owen Davis 1:08:00; 3 Robert Raubenheimer 1:08:20
Women: 1 Chris-marie Matthee 1:16:44; 2 Marelie Annalet Both 1:18:10; 3 Clara Kotze 1:20:08
The post Trail runners experience adventure in awe-inspiring mountains in fourth Pass2Pass Ultra-Trail appeared first on Sports Network Africa.
Enoch Dabo delivered a standout performance at the MTN CHAMPS Continental Relays in Jos, storming to victory in the men’s 200m to underline his growing reputation as one of Nigeria’s promising sprint talents.
The Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria final-year Physics student combined speed, determination, and composure to claim the title, capping off what he described as an emotionally fulfilling moment.
“I was over the moon when I crossed the line because I knew I was going to win,” Dabo said after the race. “I feel like pushing hard work for me, and my target is the Commonwealth and World Junior competitions.”
Dabo’s triumph in Jos represents more than just a race win—it highlights the resilience required to balance academic demands with elite-level athletics.
The young sprinter acknowledged the challenges he faced on his journey to the championship, describing it as “a bit stressful” in the build-up to the event.
Despite the pressure, he credits his progress to a strong support system, particularly his coach.
“I appreciate my coach. It is really not easy combining school with sports, but training with Coach Mike Monye Athletics School was an advantage for me,” he added.
His victory comes at a crucial point in the athletics calendar, with several international competitions on the horizon.
With renewed confidence and momentum, Dabo is now setting his sights on securing a place on the Nigerian team for global events later this year.
The performance in Jos not only reinforces his credentials but also signals his readiness to compete at higher levels.
As he continues to develop, Dabo’s blend of discipline—both in academics and athletics—positions him as a well-rounded athlete with the potential to make a significant impact on the international stage.
For now, his focus remains clear: build on this success, maintain consistency, and seize the opportunities that lie ahead.
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Athletics
Tayla springs a surprise in Cape Town to take the opening race of the 2026 SPAR Grand Prix Series
Twenty-four-year-old Durban athlete, Tayla Kavanagh, upset pre-race favourite and defending champion, Glenrose Xaba, in a thrilling climax to the SPAR Grand Prix 10km Series opener at Green Point, Cape Town this morning (Sunday 29 March).
18 000 runners and walkers took part in one of Cape Town’s most popular annual events, many making use of perfect cool and calm conditions to achieve their own personal goals. The traditional route included a three-kilometre circuit around the Cape Town Stadium precinct before an out and back loop along the Sea Point Promenade.
Kavanagh, the current national 10km road champion, was one to take advantage of the conditions, racing to a life-time best of 31 min 33 sec, eight seconds inside her previous fastest and just 21 seconds outside Xaba’s South African record.
“I woke up this morning and thought, oh my goodness, it’s such a beautiful day for racing,” said Kavanagh. “I hoped I would be able to make the most of the conditions and I’m very happy to have raced a PB”.
Although Zola Budd ran 32:20 as a 17-year-old before she raced for Great Britain, only Xaba, Elana Meyer and Colleen de Reuck have ever run faster than Kavanagh’s winning time and none of them at so young an age. The future looks bright for the Durban athlete, with higher honours beckoning.
Kavanagh and Xaba turned the event into a two-horse race from as early as the second kilometre and the two were five seconds clear of local favourite, Kyla Jacobs, and Xaba’s Boxer teammate, Karabo More.
Gauteng-based Boxer athlete, Cacisile Sosibo, was on her own in fifth, with another pair from the Boxer Athletics Club, Zanthe Taljaard and Carina Swieger running with and Tuks athlete, Karabo Mailula, a further ten seconds back.
Kavanagh held onto Xaba throughout the race before making her move just a kilometre from the finish. Xaba was equal to the challenge but when Kavanagh surged again 400 metres from home there was no response and she raced home to a five second victory.
Jacobs was delighted with her 32:16 in third, an impressive personal best over a minute inside her 32:59 in Durban in 2023. Back to her best after injury and giving birth to her daughter, Jacobs has joined the elite club of nine South Africans who have run inside 32:20 for the distance and is knocking on the sub-32 minute door.
More and Sosibo both ran personal bests in taking 4th and 5th respectively in 32:34 and 32:42 with Xaba’s training partner in the Caster and Violet Semenya camp, Karabo Mailula, 6th in 33:28.
Evergreen Irvette van Zyl, in training for the Two Oceans Ultra-Marathon next month, showed impressive speed to make up several positions in the second half to finish 7th.
Xaba admitted she had hoped Kavanagh would have helped with the pace earlier on. “If she had worked with me on the pace, I think we would have run even better times. But I’m very happy with the result and it shows the standard in South Africa is improving. Well, done to Tayla. She did so well and I’m proud of her.”
Kavanagh planned her race tactics to give her the best chance of winning. “I knew Glenrose likes to take it out hard from the start. So I thought I’d just try to hang-in as long as I could,” Kavanagh reflected.
“I thought, if I could just get to 9km with Glenrose, I’d have a chance. So I put in a surge (at 9km) but she came right back at me.
“I felt I still had something in my legs as we approached the final corner, about 500m from the finish. I pushed again and managed to open a small gap. I told myself not to just keep going and not look back, fully expecting her come past again. But she didn’t and I was very happy to win.”
Since emerging as a leading junior five years back, when she raced to a stunning 32:10 win in a Durban 10km race as a teenager, with Xaba finishing fourth, Kavanagh has been struggling with injury and her form.
“I had a few years when I struggled with injury and not running so well. Since Glenrose came back from injury in 2022, she’s gone to another level entirely and I’ve just been trying to catch up.
“This year’s gone pretty well so far. We missed the Ethiopians today, but otherwise it was a great race. Glenrose and I really push each other and it felt good to race her again.
“I’ve been doing some track work and my goal is to run the 5000m and 10 000m at SA Champs at Stellenbosch. I’m not sure about other road races yet, although I will likely come back in May to defend my Cape Town Peace 10km title.”
Results: SPAR Grand Prix Cape Town
1 Tayla Kavanagh (Hollywood) 31:33
2 Glenrose Xaba (Boxer) 31:38
3 Kyla Jacobs (Boxer) 32:16
4 Karabo More (Boxer) 32:34
5 Cacisile Sosibo (Boxer) 32:42
6 Karabo Mailula (Tuks) 33:28
7 Irvette van Zyl (Hollywood) 33:43
8 Zanthe Taljaard (Boxer) 34:23
9 Carina Swiegers (Boxer) 34:47
10 Elizabeth Hutamo (Boxer) 35:09
Juniors
1 Chanel Groenewald (Boxer) 37:17
2 Ruby Read (Atlantic) 39:35
3 Kezia Matthysen (Nedbank) 41:29
Masters: 40 years
1 Este van Tonder (Nedbank) 37:20
2 Elme Middlemost (Nedbank) 38:05
3 Michelle Minnaar (West End) 39:11
Masters: 50 years
1 Elizabeth Potter (Boxer) 38:46
2 Nerida Lubbe (Nedbank) 39:07
3 Janene Carey (Boxer) 39:30
Masters: 60 years
1 Judy Bird (Boxer) 41:03
2 Dalene Sonnekus (Nedbank) 42:44
3 Ester Brink (Balwin Strand) 43:07
Masters: 70 years
1 Margie Saunders (Nedbank) 44:24
2 Nancy Will (Pinelands) 48:27
3 Charmaine Cupido (Nedbank) 52:46
Masters: 80 years
1 Marietha Herbert (Bellville) 1:02:25
2 Marlene James (Pinelands) 1:14:29
3 Annatjie Berntzen (Goodwood Harriers) 1:36:47
The post Tayla springs a surprise in Cape Town to take the opening race of the 2026 SPAR Grand Prix Series appeared first on Sports Network Africa.
Early bird registration for the 2026 Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon is now officially open, offering runners a discounted opportunity to secure their place in one of the fastest growing international sporting events.
The fifth edition of the marathon, set to take place on August 22 in Kasese, is already attracting significant local and global interest just a week after registration opened, with organizers confirming entries from runners across several countries by press time.
Under the early bird offer, Ugandans and other East African Community (EAC) citizen, including those from Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda, can register at a fee of UGX 50,000, while international participants pay USD 50.
These discounted rates will run until July 1, 2026, after which standard registration fees of UGX 60,000 for EAC residents and USD 60 for international runners will apply.
Registration is currently ongoingvia rwenzorimarathon.com/registration
Sandra Againe, Tusker Lite Brand Manager, said the launch of early bird registration is intended to give runners ample time to prepare for the event.
“We are encouraging runners to take advantage of the early bird window not just for the cost benefit, but also to give themselves enough time to train and prepare adequately for this unique marathon experience,” Againe said.
Againe added that the brand has remained committed to growing Uganda’s running culture year-round through various Tusker Lite Runs held across the country, initiatives designed to build a strong and active community of runners.
The Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon, which sold out last year, continues to build on its international appeal, having attracted participants from 36 countries in the previous edition, with organizers expecting even broader global representation this year.
As part of its international activation campaign, the marathon is making appearances at major global running events.
A recent engagement at the Kilimanjaro Marathon in Tanzania featured a shake-out run and on-site registration.
Additional activations are scheduled at the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town on April 11, the London Marathon on April 26, and the Comrades Marathon in Durban on June 14.
At each of these events, the organizing team is collaborating with international running influencers, hosting expo booths, and leading pre-race community runs aimed at boosting visibility and engagement.
The organizers are also working closely with Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate activations with Ugandan embassies in host cities.
Now officially listed on the World Athletics Calendar and having attained Label Race status, this year’s event is expected to deliver greater impact and international recognition.
The post 2026 Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon opens entries with early registration offer appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
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